Stuff I've Learned As A Noob Stick Welding...

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Veterans...feel free to add your input So without further ado...here's Jeff's top 20 things learned as a welding noob.1)  Welding sunburn's from the UV light are painful, and so is spatter on skin.  I bought a welding jacket just for this stuff, and got lazy last night and didn't use it while working on my control box.  My arm this morning is pink from the UV light that comes off the weld. Never get lazy with your safety equipment.  2) Don't worry if you strike an arc without a helmet with minimal exposure.  I thought I'd blinded myself because of the aura it left in my vision at first.  It was stupid, and I wasn't thinking, lifted my helmet, looked at a weld, was disappointed and tapped it with the electrode.  So did some research on it.  You can get 'welder's flash' or 'arc eye', which can be a discomforting to downright excruciating condition of the eye.  Think of it as a sunburn in your eyeball.  The cornea is what get's damaged (which IIRC is the lens that covers the eye)...which is why it often feels like you have something in your eye.  3) Welding aluminum to steel doesn't work. 4) The angle of your electrode affects penetration, so if you're developing holes in your work surface from the heat being too excessive, changing the angle of your weld can help reduce penetration. 5) The electrodes you're working with are extremely important.  Your electrodes should never be thicker than the metal you're working on, otherwise expect to make some nice holes in your work. 6) Skimping/being cheap on equipment just isn't worth it.  It's harder to resell, and wastes money replacing stuff eventually.  Get the right tool/safety equipment for the job the FIRST time.  You can always take it back or resell it on craigslist much more easily than off brand cheap crap.  I learned that with my welder, and welding helmet.  I got the cheap chicago electric harbor freight special stick welder, and am already looking to upgrade. I originally bought a kobalt auto darkening helmet from lowes.  LOVED IT!  Comfy, darkened quickly.  Then I looked on ebay, and came across one with some cool decals from China for half the price   So I took my kobalt back.  Last night was the first night I used it.  It doesn't fit right, sparks fly in it all the time and I'm probably missing some hair today.  Lesson learned.  The chinese don't know jack about how big my 6'3" american sized head is.  7)  You can't weld painted surfaces.  Prepping is everything.  Glad I didn't skimp on my dewalt grinder.  Love putting on those pyrotechnic shows in the garage 8)  Machine shops are a great place to source some cheap/free scrap that you can use to learn on.  Don't waste your time at home depot or lowes unless you enjoy getting raped on metal prices.9)  Wear cheap shoes (preferably work boots) that won't get holes burned in them.10)  Welding isn't soldering.  It takes a long time to learn, but don't get discouraged.  You do learn the tricks of the trade as you go along, and you DO get better, but it is slow.  I've got a few hours under my belt now, and am still very disappointed in how my welds look - BUT they are a lot stronger than when I started.11)  You need other tools besides just the welder.  A grinder is a must.  Clamps are also a must and make working on jobs 10x easier.  I highly recommend the vice grip type clamps.  They make attaching things to your welding table/cart a lot easier to work on.  The other things I'm missing is a heavy duty shop vise and bench grinder.  Highly recommended.12)  Striking an arc is somewhat difficult to learn, but once you have it down, it get's a lot easier.  Your amps for this are very important.  If you're stick is sticking, try increasing the amperage.  Also, coming at it from an angle as opposed to a 90 degree angle seems to be easier.13)  Ventilation is important.  You don't realize it, but your workshop can get smoky pretty quickly.  Fresh air will keep you from feeling bad (I got a little nauseous last night with the garage closed). 14)  Being lazy is how you get hurt, and haste makes waste.  Never take the easy way out when it comes to welding.  Your grinder can skip.  You can get burned from not puttin on the proper clothing.  You can burn holes in your project (that you already spent hours on) because you use too big of an electrode because you want to get done sooner.  Enter welding with a proper frame of mind.  It can be extremely dangerous, needs to be 100% respected, and needs time to be done right.  It also goes without saying, but make sure all flamable stuff is out of your grinding/welding area.  One spark could turn you into a human roman candle...I'd imagine that's pretty damn painful.  15)  A bigger grounding clamp can let you work more easily on more projects. The clothespin sized one on my chicago electric is a joke.16)  If you can have someone who knows what they're doing show you the ropes, do it!  Unfortunately, I just didn't have anybody to help me out, so I'm making a lot of noob mistakes that probably could have been avoided.  17)  Organize your work area.  Knowing where your tools are can prevent a lot of frustration and save you a lot of time.  Investing in shelving, cabinets, and work benches is a great idea.  When you finish your job, put your stuff away so you can easily find it next time.  My garage is a mess, so my weekend project is organizing erthang!18) A thought that often escapes my mind is to say "going hot", and explaining what that means to other people.  Nobody wants arc eye, so saying "going hot" or "look away" before you strike an arc is a good habit to get into.  You never know when your wife/kid/neighbor might be right behind you checking on what you're doing.19)  Building a puddle and controlling it is the heart of welding.  Making sure the puddle extends to both of the pieces of metal you're trying to connect is also hugely important.20) Tackle projects you can handle, and never be afraid to ask stupid questions.  One of the first questions I asked was if you could handle grounded metal your working on.  Surprisingly, as long as your gloves aren't wet and you're not working in a puddle, you don't really have anything to worry about (though, admittedly, I'm still hesitant to test that theory).  When I got started, I thought I would just dive into making brewing systems.  Hours, possibly hundreds of hours of practice, are required to conquer projects of that magnitude.  Don't ever think you'll just dive right into more complex projects.  Realistic expectations congruent with your skill level should be exercised.I've still got a ton to learn, and have just scratched the surface on this stuff, so I'll return and update this thread periodically.  This thread is for me as much as any other noob, but consciously thinking about this stuff, it really helps it sink in. Cheers,Jeff
Reply:Well said. Judging by the amount of thought you've put in this post and your seemingly can-do attitude I think you'll succeed in learning to weld.  Welding is no different than anything else, the most important part is wanting to do it.
Reply:Originally Posted by jdlev4) The angle of your electrode affects penetration, so if you're developing holes in your work surface from the heat being too excessive, changing the angle of your weld can help reduce penetration.